The type of asphalt binder used will affect the amount of time prior to opening the lane to traffic.

Asphalt Cement

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Asphalt cements stiffen sooner and bind the aggregate with greater tenacity than asphalt emulsions, and thus may be opened to traffic sooner.

Asphalt Emulsions

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Emulsions are typically shot at about 150°F which is near the pavement temperature during the summer, so there is little loss of binder temperature. However, high humidity requires more time for emulsions to break. When humidity is greater than 50 percent, traffic should be kept off the seal as long as possible.

If it rains and emulsions are in use, traffic must be kept off the fresh seal or it is likely that most of the aggregate and much of the binder will be lost.